The Hidden Scars of Military Might: Bombing Ranges on Sacred Hawaiian Lands and Across the United States

In the lush valleys and rugged plateaus of Hawaiʻi, where ancient cultural sites whisper stories of Native Hawaiian heritage, the echoes of military training persist long after the blasts fade. Makua Valley on Oʻahu and the Pōhakuloa Training Area (PTA) on Hawaiʻi Island stand as stark symbols of how U.S. military expansion has transformed sacred ʻāina land into battlegrounds. These sites, leased from the state for decades at a nominal fee, have left legacies of environmental devastation, cultural erasure, and human suffering. As leases near expiration in 2029, debates over renewal, compensation, and reparations intensify, highlighting broader patterns across the nation where federal lands bear the brunt of training exercises with minimal recompense to local communities.

Makua Valley: A Sacred Site Turned Battlefield

Makua Valley, a 4,190-acre ahupuaʻa on Oʻahu's western coast, has been revered by Native Hawaiians for centuries as a place of temples (heiau), burials, and thriving native ecosystems. Its military history began in the 1920s with amphibious drills and howitzer placements, escalating after the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack when the U.S. Army seized the land for live-fire training during World War II. Without initial compensation to Native stewards, the valley became a hub for artillery, infantry, and Marine exercises, scorching the earth with wildfires and eroding sacred soils.

Post-war, the site continued as a key Pacific training ground, but concerns over endangered species and cultural destruction led to a 1999 federal court injunction halting live-fire activities. A 2001 settlement with Native Hawaiian group Mālama Mākua required unexploded ordnance (UXO) clearance before resumption, effectively pausing explosive training since June 2004. Today, under Army control, the valley hosts limited non-explosive maneuvers, but its scars remain: over 1,200 acres contaminated, native dryland forests lost, and access restricted.

The state lease for about 1,170 acres began in 1964 as a 65-year agreement at $1 annually, expiring in 2029. This paltry sum has drawn sharp criticism as exploitative, especially given the land's cultural value. Cleanup efforts, mandated under the Army's Military Munitions Response Program (MMRP), target 22 high-priority UXO sites. Progress is glacial estimated to span decades due to volcanic terrain hindering detection with recent operations like a February 2025 clearance removing ordnance via controlled detonations. Offshore dives in 2018 cleared 22 acres near Makua Beach, but full remediation, including soil and water testing, is tied to lease renewal environmental impact statements (EIS), which the state rejected in 2025 for inadequate assessments.

Buried munitions include small arms, 81mm and 120mm mortars, 155mm artillery shells, anti-tank rounds, guided missiles, and demolition explosives, laced with compounds like RDX, TNT, and heavy metals. No depleted uranium (DU) has been confirmed here, unlike other sites, but leaching toxins threaten groundwater.

Human costs are tragic: In April 2015, an explosion during civilian landscaping injured two people one critically with burns and shrapnel. While no large-scale deaths are directly tied to Makua, regional training since 1996 has claimed 11 soldiers' lives and injured 18, with wildfires causing community health issues like respiratory problems.

Critics decry the "abuse of ʻāina," pointing to desecrated heiau, burial disturbances, and invasive species spread. Protests and lawsuits, including a 2023 editorial demanding full return, frame the military's presence as colonial erasure, exacerbating Native Hawaiian health disparities.

Pōhakuloa Training Area: The Pacific's Largest Live-Fire Complex

Spanning 132,000 acres on Hawaiʻi Island's saddle between Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea, and Hualālai, PTA leased partly from Parker Ranch since WWII evolved from a Marine artillery range into the U.S. military's premier Pacific training site. Cold War nuclear simulations, including 1960s Davy Crockett weapon drills, scarred the high plateau. The state lease for 23,000 acres began in 1964 at $1 yearly, also expiring 2029.

Used by Army, Marines, and allies for infantry, artillery, and aviation exercises, PTA has desecrated wahi pana (sacred places) and endangered habitats. A 2022 burial discovery, omitted from the 2025 EIS, sparked outrage, leading to state rejection and calls for non-renewal.

Cleanup under MMRP includes 2018 court-ordered monitoring for UXO, with the 2025 EIS outlining soil/groundwater testing. Contamination from DU (about 2,000 rounds in the 1960s), white phosphorus, and thousands of tons of buried munitions mortars (60mm–120mm), 155mm artillery, aerial bombs, rockets, and recoilless rifles poses radiological and toxic risks. Advanced detection tech is needed for lava fields; HIMARS systems may curb future explosives.

Accidents underscore the dangers: July 1988 mortar explosion killed 2 Marines, injured 15; April 2000 misfire killed Spc. Don Falter, wounded 4; March 2006 blast killed Sgt. Gene F. DeGerolamo; June 1976 helicopter crash killed 8; June 2011 rollover claimed Spc. Alexander Geisler; October 2024 jump injured a paratrooper. A January 2025 incident involved multiple injuries airlifted from the site. DU exposure links to community cancers, while dust causes respiratory woes.

Disparaging reports label PTA a "desecration," destroying petroglyphs, māmane-naio forests, and palila bird habitats. With over 250,000 acres militarized island-wide, Native groups and the Sierra Club demand lease termination, citing sovereignty loss and a 2025 County Council resolution against ongoing "abuse."

Echoes Across the Mainland: Similar Sites and Their Compensation

Hawaiʻi's nominal leases contrast with mainland ranges, often on federal lands acquired via WWII-era withdrawals from public domains like the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). These sites share UXO legacies, cultural impacts on indigenous lands, and training fatalities, but compensation leans toward indirect mechanisms like Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT), totaling $565 million nationally in FY2025.

The Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR, 2.9 million acres) in Nevada, federalized from 1950s ranch leases, receives PILT of $3–4 million annually to counties (e.g., $0.36–0.37/acre effective), offsetting taxes amid nuclear fallout and Paiute sacred site contamination. Historical ranch settlements totaled millions, but no ongoing leases; economic impacts hit $1.2 billion yearly.

Yuma Proving Ground (YPG, 1,300 square miles) in Arizona, withdrawn in the 1940s, yields $1–2 million PILT to Yuma County. One-time ranch payments were undisclosed; a 2007 GM deal built facilities in lieu of rent. Tohono Oʻodham lands suffer water and cultural harms.

White Sands Missile Range (WSMR, 3,200 square miles) in New Mexico saw 1940s ranch leases at ~$12,000 for four years, with 1970s settlements of $25–50 million for 120 families. PILT provides $1–1.5 million yearly; a 2025 conservation transfer included $2.8 million to the state.

Dugway Proving Ground (800,000 acres) in Utah gets $2–3 million PILT for Tooele County; 1940s acquisitions were one-time. Barry M. Goldwater Range (1.7 million acres) in Arizona contributes $5–7 million PILT, with tribal claims ongoing.

Other Hawaiian parallels include Kahuku Training Area (KTA, 1,170 acres, $1 lease) and Kawailoa-Poamoho (4,370 acres), facing similar EIS rejections and UXO issues. Vieques, Puerto Rico (closed 2003), now a Superfund site with $200 million+ cleanup, had no payments pre-closure but spurred cancer lawsuits. Waikoloa Maneuver Area on Hawaiʻi Island shares UXO risks on Native lands.

Nationwide, the Department of Defense manages 40,000+ UXO sites, projecting $20 billion in cleanups. PILT, capped by population formulas (~$0.30–0.40/acre), aids counties but falls short for tribes and ranchers decrying under-compensation amid environmental harms.

Reclaiming Value: Hawaiʻi's Leverage and the Quest for Reparations

As 2029 approaches, Hawaiʻi holds cards to demand fair market value (FMV) for renewals, ditching the $1 fee. Under state law, leases cap at 65 years, but military needs could yield $100–$2,000/acre annually for Oʻahu sites (~$3–12 million/year for 6,000 acres) and $50–$500/acre for PTA (~$1–11.5 million/year for 23,000 acres), totaling $4–23.5 million yearly. Outright sales might fetch $30 million–$1.45 billion, funding Native programs per the public trust doctrine. Governor Josh Green's administration, backed by 2025 BLNR rejections, pushes for land returns (e.g., full Makua), UXO cleanups (billions over decades), and infrastructure investments, leveraging Native opposition from 50+ groups.

For Native Hawaiians, these negotiations tie into broader reparations for the 1893 overthrow and land thefts (1.8 million acres ceded without consent), acknowledged in the 1993 U.S. Apology Resolution but uncompensated. Militarization 20% of lands under DoD exacerbates this, with claims estimated at $32 billion for "occupation."

The Hawaiian Homes Commission Act (1921) allocated 200,000 acres for homesteading, but only 42,000 awarded due to delays; the U.S. owes lands and millions in trusts. State Act 14 (1995) pledged $600 million and exchanges, yet shortfalls persist. Pathways forward include OHA-led 2025 legislation for funding and anti-erasure protections, lawsuits enforcing trusts (e.g., DHHL claims), and sovereignty pushes via UN recognition or referendums. Groups like Mālama Mākua demand lease non-renewals as "reparative justice," drawing precedents from mainland land-backs like White Sands' 2025 transfer.

Empowering the Next Generation: Kamehameha Schools' Role in Education and Support

Founded in 1883 by Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop amid Native Hawaiian population collapse, land dispossession, and cultural suppression, Kamehameha Schools (KS) stands as a beacon of restoration. With a mission to uplift Native Hawaiians through education, KS operates K-12 campuses on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi Island, and Maui, plus preschools, serving learners of all ages while prioritizing Hawaiian ancestry applicants to address historical injustices. This preference, defended as restorative justice rather than racial discrimination, faces ongoing legal challenges but aligns with Pauahi's vision of self-determination (ea) and resilience.

The curriculum integrates Hawaiian history, emphasizing resistance, survival, and resurgence against U.S. occupation and its naturalization in education. High school social studies problematize injustices like land loss and militarization, fostering critical awareness of wrongs such as those at Makua and PTA, while promoting cultural preservation and sovereignty. Initiatives like Ka Huakaʻi highlight journeys toward a brighter lāhui (nation), countering historical efforts to instill non-Native values.

Beyond classrooms, KS provides extensive support: scholarships through the Pauahi Foundation (applications open until November 30, 2025), community programs nurturing leadership and well-being, and resources for health, safety, and identity strengthening. These efforts, rooted in advocacy for Native rights, contribute to broader reparations by empowering generations to reclaim heritage and push for equity.

As of September 2025, with federal trust duties intact, unified advocacy could transform these scarred lands into symbols of restoration returning ʻāina, healing communities, and ensuring military might no longer comes at such a hidden, enduring cost.